diff --git a/kernel/events/core.c b/kernel/events/core.c
index 5a123ff103fa..3a7bb69e9d6e 100644
--- a/kernel/events/core.c
+++ b/kernel/events/core.c
@@ -11036,6 +11036,24 @@ SYSCALL_DEFINE5(perf_event_open,
 		goto err_task;
 	}
 
+	if (task) {
+		err = mutex_lock_interruptible(&task->signal->exec_update_mutex);
+		if (err)
+			goto err_task;
+
+		/*
+		 * Reuse ptrace permission checks for now.
+		 *
+		 * We must hold exec_update_mutex across this and any potential
+		 * perf_install_in_context() call for this new event to
+		 * serialize against exec() altering our credentials (and the
+		 * perf_event_exit_task() that could imply).
+		 */
+		err = -EACCES;
+		if (!ptrace_may_access(task, PTRACE_MODE_READ_REALCREDS))
+			goto err_cred;
+	}
+
 	if (flags & PERF_FLAG_PID_CGROUP)
 		cgroup_fd = pid;
 
@@ -11043,7 +11061,7 @@ SYSCALL_DEFINE5(perf_event_open,
 				 NULL, NULL, cgroup_fd);
 	if (IS_ERR(event)) {
 		err = PTR_ERR(event);
-		goto err_task;
+		goto err_cred;
 	}
 
 	if (is_sampling_event(event)) {
@@ -11162,24 +11180,6 @@ SYSCALL_DEFINE5(perf_event_open,
 		goto err_context;
 	}
 
-	if (task) {
-		err = mutex_lock_interruptible(&task->signal->exec_update_mutex);
-		if (err)
-			goto err_file;
-
-		/*
-		 * Preserve ptrace permission check for backwards compatibility.
-		 *
-		 * We must hold exec_update_mutex across this and any potential
-		 * perf_install_in_context() call for this new event to
-		 * serialize against exec() altering our credentials (and the
-		 * perf_event_exit_task() that could imply).
-		 */
-		err = -EACCES;
-		if (!ptrace_may_access(task, PTRACE_MODE_READ_REALCREDS))
-			goto err_cred;
-	}
-
 	if (move_group) {
 		gctx = __perf_event_ctx_lock_double(group_leader, ctx);
 
@@ -11355,10 +11355,7 @@ err_locked:
 	if (move_group)
 		perf_event_ctx_unlock(group_leader, gctx);
 	mutex_unlock(&ctx->mutex);
-err_cred:
-	if (task)
-		mutex_unlock(&task->signal->exec_update_mutex);
-err_file:
+/* err_file: */
 	fput(event_file);
 err_context:
 	perf_unpin_context(ctx);
@@ -11370,6 +11367,9 @@ err_alloc:
 	 */
 	if (!event_file)
 		free_event(event);
+err_cred:
+	if (task)
+		mutex_unlock(&task->signal->exec_update_mutex);
 err_task:
 	if (task)
 		put_task_struct(task);